This invention generally relates to bird feeders and, more particularly, to bird feeders with at least one removable component.
A popular pastime for people around the world is observing birds. An old and successful technique for attracting birds for viewing is to suspend a bird feeder from a tree branch or other elevated member in plain view of the observer.
Existing bird feeders take a wide variety of forms, but typically include a cylindrical, rectangular, or conical shaped dispenser, the lower end of which is formed into, or is attached to, a receptacle. The dispenser has an inlet at or near its upper end for receiving bird seed and an outlet at or near its lower end for dispensing bird seed. Bird seed gravitationally dispenses from the dispenser into the receptacle as the bird seed is consumed by birds. However, the birds, while perched on this receptacle throw out large quantities of seed. A bird-feed catcher can be positioned beneath the bird feeder to collect the seed which is thrown out. Having the bird-feed catcher attached to the same mechanism used to suspend the feeder allows for the catcher to move freely due to natural forces and be easily removed for cleaning and bird seed recycling without disrupting the feeder mechanism.
Conventional bird feeders and bird houses for wild birds typically are positioned on a pole or suspended from a structure or a plant such as a tree limb. It has been found, however, that birds throw out and waste their feed by scattering it as they eat it. Typically, the bird seed is wasted on surfaces that it falls onto. The area must be cleaned if it is a flat surface such as cement or wood. If it is ground or garden, however, the wasted seed sprouts and grows into a mixture of unwanted plants and weeds. In any environment, the wasted bird seed creates various forms of unwanted nuisance.
There is no known catcher of bird feed that can be used with the most desirable and attractive bird feeders and bird houses. Some bird feeders have provisions for catching and some for reusing wasted bird seed. However, they are not attractive to most wild birds and, therefore, defeat the purpose of bird feeding. Furthermore, the existing devices that prevent bird seed from falling to the ground attach directly to the bird feeder or pole and cannot be used independently from the feeder. Examples of different but related art is described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. 5,711,247 issued to Henshaw on Jul. 15, 1996 and 5,775,256, issued to Henshaw on Jul. 7, 1998 described a bird-feed recycler attached to a pole that is positioned beneath a feeder, but was immobile and difficult to remove from its position to clean out pan. U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,019, issued to Coffer on Jul. 10, 1990, described a bird feeder having a cascaded series of feed catchers and recycling feeders that was mechanically effective but not attractive to either birds desired to be attracted or to bird-watcher individuals. It could not be used with other types of more attractive and more effective bird feeders. U.S. Pat. No. 2,786,446, issued to Newman on Mar. 26, 1957, taught a bird feeder with a relatively large platform that was not adequate for collecting wasted seed or for recycling it. Further, it hid birds from view of bird watchers who were not at a sufficiently high position for viewing across the platform. U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,386, issued to Jones on Aug. 16, 1955, taught a bird feed and water station having conical feed and water containers without provision for catching and recycling wasted bird feed.